FIXES

Non-Intentional Design: Investigating alterations of space/objects at the public/private boundary in suburban Tokyo, Japan. A resource by a-small-lab.com. Contact: Chris Berthelsen chris@a-small-lab.com

No Playing in Board and Marker

Wooden sign on suburban shopping street reminds children not to play on the staircase. It’s dangerous.

No Playing in Board and Marker
No Playing in Board and Marker
No Playing in Board and Marker

Materials: Wooden Board, Marker
Location: Kunitachi, Tokyo

User Voices Drive Train Station Fixes

This sign in Shibuya station illustrates how station employees have ‘fixed’ ticket gate signage at the request of users.

In this case, existing signage left passengers unclear as to whether the station could be exited from the ticket gate. This was fixed by installing two signs pointing to well known exits/meeting spots.

User Voices Drive Train Station Fixes
User Voices Drive Train Station Fixes
User Voices Drive Train Station Fixes

Materials: Laminated Paper
Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

How to Use an Escalator

Maintenance times; No smoking!; Be careful if you’re wearing sandals!; Hold the handrail!; and of course – No Walking! No Running! – just stand still…..don’t move…..

How to Use an Escalator
How to Use an Escalator

Materials: Laminated Paper
Location: Nagoya

Hand Made Shopping Street Map

Hand made map showing shops and attractions in the center of Nagoya’s shopping district, Sakae.

Various fonts, paper, and hand written annotations, along with fading, wear and tear evoke the temporality of commerce.

I wonder what rules and regulations hold for the those allowed to add to the sign. What are the penalties for unauthorised editing?

Hand Made Shopping Street Map
Hand Made Shopping Street Map
Hand Made Shopping Street Map
Hand Made Shopping Street Map
Hand Made Shopping Street Map
Hand Made Shopping Street Map

Materials: Paper, Marker, Laminator
Location: Nagoya, Sakae

Annotated Trolley

Trolley underbelly provides space for instructions on its own use – in this case, for use only within the rubbish center area.

Annotated Trolley

Annotated Trolley

Materials: Marker
Location: Setagaya, Tokyo.

This example is a note for a pamphlet on “Hand Made Aspects of Mass Produced Housing”. Subscribe to my somewhat-frequent letter HERE if you want to keep in touch easily.

Disposing of Cardboard & Paper

Series of instructions regarding the disposal of paper and cardboard. Green laminated sign reads ‘paper’, hand written sign instructs residents to secure bundles of cardboard with string, typed sign notes instructions from the city.

Disposing of Cardboard
Disposing of Cardboard

Materials: Laminated Paper
Location: Setagaya, Tokyo.

This example is a note for a pamphlet on “Hand Made Aspects of Mass Produced Housing”. Subscribe to my somewhat-frequent letter HERE if you want to keep in touch easily.

Disposal Instructions for Glass

Instructions on the disposal of glass bottles/jars – take the lid of first. Note emphasis over ‘lid’, cute portrait, and signature from the ‘Clean Trio’ who take care of the rubbish/recyling center.

Disposal Instructions for Glass
Disposal Instructions for Glass

Materials: Paper
Location: Setagaya, Tokyo.

This example is a note for a pamphlet on “Hand Made Aspects of Mass Produced Housing”. Subscribe to my somewhat-frequent letter HERE if you want to keep in touch easily.

Recycling Station

Overview of can, glass bottle and plastic bottle recycling station. Full crates form structure and support for empty.
Cheerful handmade sign providing instruction on the correct way to recycle plastic bottles.

Recycling Station
Recycling Station

Materials: Plastic Crates, Coat Hanger
Location: Setagaya, Tokyo.

This example is a note for a pamphlet on “Hand Made Aspects of Mass Produced Housing”. Subscribe to my somewhat-frequent letter HERE if you want to keep in touch easily.

Cheerful Rubbish Center Signage

Cheerful hand made signs instructing residents to (1) flatten plastic bottles and (2) remove the cap and label from plastic bottles before placing them in the recycling sack.

Cheerful Rubbish Center Signage
Cheerful Rubbish Center Signage

Materials: Paper, Pegs, Coat hanger
Location: Setagaya, Tokyo.

This example is a note for a pamphlet on “Hand Made Aspects of Mass Produced Housing”. Subscribe to my somewhat-frequent letter HERE if you want to keep in touch easily.

Rubbish Center Instructions

Non-burnable rubbish sign and instructions.
How do the axillary instructions get proposed, formulated and approved? What is the flow of information? Who are the stakeholders and what do they value? What is given priority?

Rubbish Center Instructions
Rubbish Center Instructions

Materials: Laminated A4
Location: Setagaya, Tokyo.

This example is a note for a pamphlet on “”Hand Made Aspects of Mass Produced Housing”. Subscribe to my somewhat-frequent letter HERE if you want to keep in touch easily.

Control Your Pets in Board and Marker

Very direct way of letting local pet owners know how the doings of their dogs are viewed by residents of a small apartment complex.

Cute dog sign adds the finishing touch.

Control Your Pets in Board and Marker
Control Your Pets in Board and Marker

Materials: Board, Marker
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Change of Location (Tissue)

Hand made sign notifying public toilet users of a shift in the toilet paper dispenser.
I love how the draft in pencil bears no relation to the final copy written in marker.

Change of Location (Tissue)
Change of Location (Tissue)

Materials: Marker, Paper
Location: Nagoya

Menu Stabilization in Bricks

Easel legs thread through bricks for stabilization of a entrance menu.

Menu Stabilization in Bricks
Menu Stabilization in Bricks
Menu Stabilization in Bricks

Materials: Bricks
Location: Nagoya

Coffee Shop Signage in Painted Wood

Painted wood scraps form signage for a coffee house in central Nagoya.

Coffee Shop Signage in Painted Wood
Coffee Shop Signage in Painted Wood

Materials: Paint, Wood Scraps
Location: Nagoya

Neighbourhood Watch in A4 and Tape

Watch out for burglars! This frugal signage warns residents of ambient dangers.

Neighbourhood Watch in A4 and Tape
Neighbourhood Watch in A4 and Tape

Materials: Laminated Paper, Duct Tape
Location: Nagoya

Kindergarten Signage on Bush

Signage for a local kindgarten play-day makes use of a bush in a local park.

Kindergarten Signage on Bush
Kindergarten Signage on Bush
Kindergarten Signage on Bush
Kindergarten Signage on Bush
Kindergarten Signage on Bush

Materials: Laminated Paper, Plastic Twine, Tree
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Menu/Promotion in Laminated Paper

Railing at the entrance to a below ground level restaurant transformed into an oversize menu/promotion board with extensive use of tape and laminated paper.

Menu/Promotion in Laminated Paper
Menu/Promotion in Laminated Paper
Menu/Promotion in Laminated Paper
Menu/Promotion in Laminated Paper
Menu/Promotion in Laminated Paper
Menu/Promotion in Laminated Paper
Menu/Promotion in Laminated Paper

Materials: Laminated Paper, Railing, Tape
Location: Shibuya, Tokyo

Traffic Cone Reuse in Marker and A3

Traffic signage put to a different traffic related use with the help of marker and paper.

Traffic Cone Reuse in Marker and A3
Traffic Cone Reuse in Marker and A3
Traffic Cone Reuse in Marker and A3

Materials: Paper, Marker
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Real Estate Signage in Laminated Paper, Wire and Tape

Narrow frontage and cluttered streets combined with a fast-pasted real estate sector call for flexible, cheap and prominent signage on Shibuya streets. This one combines laminated paper attached to a horizontal signpost and secured with wire and duct tape.

Real Estate Signage in Laminated Paper, Wire and Tape
Real Estate Signage in Laminated Paper, Wire and Tape
Real Estate Signage in Laminated Paper, Wire and Tape
Real Estate Signage in Laminated Paper, Wire and Tape

Materials: Laminated Paper, Wire, Duct Tape
Location: Shibuya, Tokyo

Cut Out Laminated Signage

Laminated A2 signage with a backing of cardboard box displays six levels of information on the alley/service gate to the main building. Another layer of MS Office default text added to the already cramped Shibuya street.

The (off center) cut-out for the door handle maintains the practical use of the gate while rendering the QR code unreadable.

Cut Out Laminated Signage
Cut Out Laminated Signage
Cut Out Laminated Signage
Cut Out Laminated Signage


Materials:
Cardboard Box, Laminated Paper
Location: Shibuya, Tokyo

Mega-Cities: Design Anthropology and Urban Landscapes
I'm delighted and honoured to have my FIXES work included in Jared Braiterman's Tokyo University graduate seminar on mega-cities.
You can download the syllabus [HERE]


Thanks to the URBAN DESIGN Lab 西村・北沢・窪田 都市デザイン研究室, Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo for making this a featured resource of their lab [LINK]

Vision Plus 2010
Thanks to the organizers of the conference for selecting this project as a featured resource, even though I was not able to attend.




Article: Small Places of Anarchy in the City: Three Investigations in Tokyo on This Big City

Article: The Non-Intentional Landscape of Tokyo - read at This Big City

Article: Framework for Neighbourhood Creative Climate - read at This Big City

Tokyo Green Space from Jared Braiterman is a great inspiration [LINK]

Urban Bricolage by @ehooge is an inspiring site on a related theme [LINK]

Treepolis by Christoph Rupprecht inspires me with investigations into informal green space, cities, and urban ecology with a focus on Australia and Japan [LINK]

Everyday Structures by @alanwiig is another fine site in the same vein [LINK]